And time marches on...

In case you haven't noticed, my blogs are random writings about random topics. I jump from one topic to another, based soley on what interests me at the moment. This is not unlike my life. Having ADHD can make life both very interesting and very boring. On the one hand, it's interesting because I'm reading about / thinking about / doing something different all the time. On the other hand, if I'm in a situation where I can't fulfil that need for constant change, life can grow incredibly boring and monotonous, and time will drag on. Take my job for example. I sit at a desk and write code for 8 hours a day. There are interesting facets to it, like when I'm put on a new project. That provides a challenge, and keeps things fresh. But when I'm put on random tasks, tedious tasks, it's all downhill. Those are the times I end up surfing the web. Those are the times I'm talking to people online. I'm not using it as an excuse, I just have a hard time focusing on things that are less than interesting to me.

This brings me to the times when I question my career. I knew from the start that this particular job would not be something I did for the rest of my life. I needed something that I was good at, and that paid well, to get me going after school. And that's exactly what this job offers. It raises the point of post-collegiate confusion. You go through school, pick a major (or 5 or 6, hehe), and then move into your chosen field when you're done. But then what. What happens when your chosen field isn't quite what you expected? Or even if it is what you expected, but your feelings about it aren't?

I spend a moderate amount of time trying to find that perfect job. The one that will somehow hold my interest. The one that caters too the things I enjoy in life. And I have yet to find it. And I wonder if I will find it. And I wonder when I'll find it. And how I'll find it. It's been said to me before that most people don't love their jobs, but they go because it's what they need to do. They never find that perfect job. They just find something that works for them. I don't want to live my life that way. And I know a lot of other people don't either. But that then brings us back to the question of finding that job that's right for us.

The key to getting started on this path of good job-ness (it's my blog, I can make up words if I want to) is to start walking. All too often, I see people that have fallen into a pattern. They find a job, and stick with it, based on the fact that it's there. It's the familiar, and people like familiarity in their lives. Sometimes you just need to shake things up. Admitedly, we al can fall victim to circumstance. It's a lot easier to up and change your life when there's no one else involved. But when there are relationships, children, and so on, things get complicated. It doesn't mean you can't make change. It doesn't mean you can't try out new things. It just makes it harder. No one ever said life was going to be easy, eh.

It's interesting how topics can flow while writing. I started this with the intention of rambling on about my lack of ability to find that elusive perfect job, and then I start giving advice on life and careers. Anyway, I'll try to get back on topic while wrapping this up. There is an underlying assumption that once you finish school, you move on to your career, and life carries on from there. But what happens when it doesn't all go according to plan? I know there are many other people out there that feel the same. In the end, writing this gets me no closer to the elusive perfect job. And reading it most likely did not have that effect on you either. But, hopefully, it at least got you thinking. And that's really what everything I write aims to do. I like to get people thinking. And as always, I encourage discussion.